Better networking: Look awry and begin with a new perspective

It's what you don't see in the network that matters.

As a child, my family of 6 kids and 2 adults frequently visited the game reserve. My father insisted we were the first at the gate every morning so we could discover the animals as they emerged for their day. Although there were 8 sets of eyes, each of us saw different things. My sister was an expert dung beetle spotter, my father was the first to notice birds, and I was adept at spotting cheetah and giraffe. As with game spotting, we often see what is obvious to us but miss what others might see.

In our pursuit of a more holistic approach to leadership,  a key component is to conduct an in-depth network analysis, suggests Dr. Simon Western.  Based in Ireland, Western is president of the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations. In 2008, he coined the term eco-leadership to describe a new leadership paradigm for organizations in the networked and inter-dependent global environment in which they do business.

To this end we need to look awry and consider the lacks and gaps – what are we not seeing in our networks. Eco-networks have become ever more present in the globally connected world and can be compared to a living organism that systematically needs our attention.

Whether you are a woman in pursuit of a coveted board position or a salesperson looking for a whale, you probably recognize that networking can be a key to your success, but many of us resist making networking a priority. A Harvard study revealed that too often we associate networking with a dirty feeling as we abhor asking for favors or feel inauthentic in our approach.  (Source: The Contaminating Effects of Building Instrumental Ties: How Networking Can Make Us Feel Dirty)

How do we get past that feeling to achieve more productive and enjoyable networking? Instead of thinking about networking as a "quid pro quo", eco-leadership considers how your network aligns with your values and how can you tap into the network to support collective objectives that benefit the extended community.

To approach networking with a sense of genuine curiosity and abundant thinking means we move from a "what’s in it for me” (WIIFM) mindset to understanding how we can support the flow of energy towards momentum for collective outcomes.

If you were to do one thing differently in 2018, perhaps it's to step back, look awry and consider how you can evolve from a WIIFM  networking perspective to one that creates a transformational living network with a purpose.

Photo at top: Julie Wolpers